A number of patients with diabetes suffer from retinopathy; the pathogenesis is to be further investigated. Recent reports indicate that micro RNA (miR) plays critical roles in the development of immune inflammation. This study test a hypothesis that miR-17-92 cluster is associated with the pathogenesis of diabetes retinopathy (DR). In this study, peripheral blood samples were collected from DR patients and healthy subjects. B cells were isolated from the blood samples to be analyzed the expression of interleukin (IL)-10. The results showed that lower levels of IL-10 were detected in peripheral B cells of DR patients as compared with healthy subjects. miR-19a was increased in B cells of DR patients, which was negatively correlated with the IL-10 expression. Exposure of naive B cells to IL-17 increased the expression of miR-19a and suppression of IL-10 expression in the B cells, in which histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC 11) played a critical role. In conclusion, the IL-17 suppresses IL-10 expression in peripheral B cells via enhancing miR-19a expression and HDAC activity in DR patients. The miR-19a and HDAC 11 may be novel therapeutic targets in the treatment of DR.